I came to Newfoundland for the first time just over four years ago. I can still vividly recall taking the ferry across from Nova Scotia in the late winter, listening to the groaning sounds of the ice around the boat. Within two months of arriving I made my first trip to Bonne Bay, a remote fjord on the west coast of the island. I went to learn about the food system and fisheries in the region as part of a PhD program I was beginning at Memorial University that fall.
Maple syrup conjures up images of towering arboretums in places like Quebec or Vermont, but it’s a little known secret that the rugged and hardy maple trees of Newfoundland make darn fine maple syrup. With nothing more than a half dozen maple trees, some old salt beef containers and a handful of 25 cent metal tree taps, you’re good to go and can expect to end up with over a dozen bottles of hand made maple syrup.
Spectacular vistas, whales breaching, ice bergs floating by, and a foragers paradise. We are blessed with many wilderness areas that offer abundant edible plants. I rarely go on a hike without stopping to have a little taste of this or that. In this post, I will touch upon some of the edibles currently available in our wonderful wilderness.
Thanks to the listing from Seeds of Diversity, I was able to locate a gentleman in Newfoundland who has a great deal of experience growing a wide variety of potatoes here. Last week, I recieved by my set of samples from George, and here's what my benefactor told me about the varieties:
Red Dutch: A very dry, yellow flesh red from Holland in the 1940’s. An excellent potato. Late maturing.
Northern White: A white flesh variety, from Quebec apparently, from the early 1900’s. Very high yield. Good taste.
For the past several years FSN has been purchasing screening rights to a new documentary each year to share across the province for World Food Day. We also just recently released our own film series called All Around the Table. We've got a solid collection of films now that community groups across the province can borrow to use for events. There's no charge for borrowing a film from the FSN library, all that's required is a promise to mail the film back when your group is done with it.
Have any of you seen the site Tipnut yet? It's my new favourite thing on the internet; I'm pretty hooked on it. An almost endless supply of tips, tutorials and freebies for home, kitchen and garden.
MUN Botanical Garden has recently released From Garden to Classroom: Activity and Resource Guide . It walks you through dozens of activities and even more information to inspire youth to explore the natural world. And it's not about talking at kids, it's about giving them the resources to get right into the thick of things, hands in the dirt, learning through play, and really connecting with their natural surroundings on all levels.
On Tuesday, November 22, 2011, Root Cellars Rock piloted its Food Skills Workshop initiative at The Lantern, in St. John's. The Food Skills Workshops Kit is intended to assist community organizations and individuals who are interested in learning and sharing skills related to picking, planting, preserving and preparing local food. Later this year, FSN will be offering materials for how to host Food Skills Workshops on composting, container gardening, using culinary herbs, preparing local vegetables, seed saving, edible wild plants, safe canning and preserving and root cellars and cold storage!
